"We have to play well and work hard for 40 overs to win the next game" - DC coach Ricky Ponting
Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting has said that his team will have to play well for 40 overs to beat CSK in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2021 on Sunday.
The Capitals are coming off a defeat, only their fourth loss of the season, after KS Bharat smashed a last-ball six to take RCB home. Bharat played a blinder of a knock to help his team chase down a 165-run target despite a poor start.
While ruing the loss against the RCB, Ponting felt there were a few positives to be had from the game. In an interview clip posted on the franchise's Twitter handle, Ponting also talked about the enormity of the challenge now awaiting DC against CSK. The 47-year-old said that DC will have to be at their best against CSK on Sunday, saying:
"We have played good cricket. The challenge now for us over the next week is to play great cricket."
@RickyPonting reflects on last night's loss, positives from the game and league stage's analysis after #RCBvDC 😍
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"I think if you look tonight, given we batted first, we made our highest score since we've been in the UAE. We probably have been more comfortable chasing in the first few games where I have been here as well. Put all those things together, and we have a lot of positives coming out of tonight's game."
"Couple that with the fact that we've beaten Chennai twice in the round games. We'are going to be confident. But we know we have to play well and work hard for 40 overs if we're going to win the next game. But a lot to like about even though we've lost; I think it was still a step forward."
The Capitals have beaten MS Dhoni's men twice in the group stage, and will fancy their chances of another victory on Sunday. However, the men in yellow have a better record and superior experience than DC in the playoffs.
"The challenge now for us over the next week is to play great cricket" - Ricky Ponting
Ponting further said that he is a firm believer in the process instead of the end result. The Tasmanian hailed the collective efforts of the DC group so far but wants the team to bring their A-game at the business end of the tournament. Ponting said in this regard:
"If you look at the last game, it wasn't a great performance, against MI, it wasn't a great performance. But we managed to win those games. We probably played better tonight than we played in the games we won. The way I see it, it's not about the end result, it's about the performance we're putting on the board."
"Prithvi played his best game, Shikhar probably looked as good as he's looked for the tournament. There's a lot to like about the group. We've played good cricket, but the challenge now for us over the next week is to play great cricket. And I think that's just around the corner for us."
The former Australian captain also hinted at all-rounder Marcus Stoinis' availability for the qualifier. Ponting believes Stoinis' return from injury against CSK would make DC a difficult team to beat.
With a win against CSK on Sunday, DC will reach consecutive IPL finals and move a step closer to winning their first title in the T20 competition.